Muffler-cover



G. H. PADGETT.

v MUFFLER COVER.

APPLICATION FILED o:c.9,1919. RENEWED SEPT. 28. 1920.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

WITNESSES A ITORNEYS UNITED STATES" GEORGE H. PADGETT, OF OTISVILLE, NEW YORK.

MUFFLERPCOVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

Application fled December 9, 1919, Serial No. 343,450. Renewed September 28, 1920. Serial No. 418,487.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. PADcErr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Otisville, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mufller- Covers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automobile exhaust mufliers and has particular reference to an improved construction of the outer shell of such mufilers, and particular means for permitting such shell to expand under certain conditions.

In the ordinary form of mufilers when the outer shell is cracked, blown out, or destroyed by an excessive explosion or otherwise, a new outer shell must be installed, and it can be installed in its place only by unscrewing and removin the mufiler ends or either end of the m or, which allows the inside and intermediate shells as well as the outer shell to become displaced from their respective settings in the muffler ends. The readjustment of these inside and intermediate shells as well as the new outer shell between the two mulfler ends, and the reattachment of the complete mufiler to the body of the car frequently requires an hours labor by an expert mechanic. The ordinary form of outer shell is made ofsheet iron or some other resilient metal with the joinin edges per manently interlocked and wel ed together at intervals along'the interlocking seam beforc'les the shell is adjusted between the mufiler en The objects of my invention are to overcome these obj ectionable, features by providing an outer shell which may be removed or replaced without the removal or disturbance of the muffler ends, and at considerable saving of time'and labor,-and at the same time to provide a mufiler shell which will be as strong as the ordinary outer mufiler shell, and which will be equally effective in muffling the sound of the exhaust.

I attain these objects by the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation showing details of retaining bands and connections.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the cover; re-

moved from muffler headers. Referring more particularly to the drawlng the muffler is indicated by 10, the mufiler being provided with end caps 11 and 12. Surrounding the inner shells or internal structure of the muffler is a cylinder 14, severed longitudinally at one side; this split cylinder forms the outer cover of the mufiier and is made of flexible or resilient metal which is expansible and contractible circumferentiall and having suflicient strength to withstan normal pressure of the exhaust but which may expand without rupture when an internal explosion takes place.

A fiat strip of sheet metal 15 of the same length as the split cylinder 14 is secured preferably to the inner face of the same, adjacent the upper free longitudinal edge of the cylinder, in any suitable manner, preferably by rivets 16 though it can be welded thereto, and along a line at a predetermined distance from the said edge in such a manner as to permit its free end being bent slightly downward, and away from the inner surface of the cylinder, thus forming a longitudinal pocket 17 between it and the inner surface of the cylinder, the free edge of the strip 15 preferably extending sli htly beyond the edge 18 of the cylinder. his pocket 17 receive's the lower free edge 19 of the splitcylinder after the same has been sprung over the mufiler and pressed together by manual force, and thereby making a tight joint which is normally gas-tight.

To hold the parts in the position above set Tothe outer face of the cover 14 belowthe lower free edge of the split cylinder are rigidly secured by rivets or otherwise, two or more small metal plates 20 havin at their upper and lower ends the oppositely facing hooks 21 and 22 said plates suitably spaced from each other and from the opposite ends of the cylinder. In the present embodiment of the device I have shown but three of these hooked plates, and the hooks themselves might be welded directly to the outer surface of the cylinder, the essential requirement being that the hooks face in opposite directions or oppose each other.

I now provide a series of tightly coiled helical springs 23 having at their opposite ends hooks or loops 24, the springs being of a length so that they may be expanded to a length slightly greater than the circumference or perimeter of the cover 14. The hooks or loops 24, at one end of the springs are then engaged with the hooks at one end of plates 20 and carried around the cylinder and over the split portion the opposite ends of the springs are hooked or engaged with the hooks at the opposite ends of the plates, said spring being put under strong tension by the encircling of the cover and engaging the hooks after such encircling.

By the use of the springs 23 which are very strong, in conjunction with the hooks on the outer surface of the cover, it will be readily seen a tight joint will be maintained at all times under normal conditions of pressure and that upon abnormal pressure or explosion within the muffler that the cover may expand without rupture.

Furthermore, it will be understood that should it be necessary to get at the inside of the muffler for repairs or inspection, that the cover can be quickly and readily removed and replaced by simply removing or replacing the springs.

The pocket formed by the strip 15 and the cylinder 14 is wedge shaped so that the enterin opposite edge makes a gas tight fit therein.

I claim 1. An outer cover for exhaust mulllers comprising a longitudinally split resilient tube, an interior wedge shaped pocket adjacent one edge of the split adapted to receive and hold in gas tight relation the opposite edge thereof, and resilient means for retaining such edge in position.

2. An exhaust muffler comprising an expansible tubular casing member and rigid headers, and resilient means surrounding the casing to maintain the casing in normal contracted condition and to permit expansion thereof without rupture upon excessive explosive force within the mu'liler.

3. An outer cover for an exhaust mutller comprising a longitudinally split cylindrical body, one edge of said split portion having a Wedge shaped internal pocket adjacent that edgeand coextensive with such edge, said pocket adapted to receive and form a gas tight joint with the opposite edge, and resilient means for retaining said edges of the body in said gas tight relation.

4. An outer cover for an exhaust muiller consisting of a circumterentially expansible cylindrical casing split longitudinally from end to end, a flat strip of metal secured at one edge within the casing adjacent one longitudinal edge the free edge of said strip, projecting beyond the said longitudinal edge and defining an internal wedge pocket, the opposite longitudinal edge of the casing adapted to fit gas tightin said pocket, resilient restraining bands encircling said cylindrical casing and the split portion thereof, and means for securing the ends of said bands to the outer surface of said casing.

5. The herein described exhaust mufller including a normally gastight, transversely expansible cylindrical casing member and rigid headers, and t'ansversely expansible means surrounding the casing to maintain the same in normal contracted condition, and yet permit expansion of the same without rupture, upon excessive explosive force within the mufller.

6. An outer cover for an exhaust muffler comprising a longitudinally split, transversely expansible tubular body, one edge of said portion having a wedge shaped internal pocket adapted to receive and form a gas tight joint with the opposite edge, and transversely expansible resilient means for retaining said edges in position.

7. In a device as herein characterized in combination, an outer cover for an exhaust niu'lller consisting of a circumferentially expansible longitudinally split tube, an internal wedge shaped pocket adjacent one edge said pocket adapted to receive and hold the opposite edge in gas tight relation, oppositely facing hook members proj ecting from the outer surface of said cover, and longitudinally extensible helical springs embracing said cover, the opposite ends of said springs engaging said oppositely facing hooks.

GEORGE H. PADGETT. 

